Homemade Tomato Sauce
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Based on Marcella Hazan’s famous recipe, this simple and rich homemade tomato sauce is a summer essential.
I’ve got a confession: there’s a whole shelf in my pantry dedicated to my favorite jarred tomato sauce for those crazy-busy nights. But when tomatoes are in season and I have a little time to spare, nothing beats making tomato sauce from scratch. It’s so good that it makes me wonder how I ever settle for that run-of-the-mill jarred stuff! My go-to recipe is inspired by Marcella Hazan’s famously simple tomato butter sauce, although I’ve tweaked it over the years to make it my own. It’s such a rich and flavorful sauce, it doesn’t even need Parmesan cheese when tossed with pasta. If fresh tomatoes aren’t in season or you’re short on time, canned whole peeled tomatoes work beautifully (San Marzanos are the gold standard). Just steer clear of canned diced tomatoes—they are made with a chemical that keeps them from breaking down properly.
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Tomato Sauce
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by scoring the tomatoes with an X on one end. Don’t cut too deep; about 1/4 inch is good.
Place the tomatoes in boiling water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the skins start to peel back. Be careful not to cook too long, or the tomatoes will become soft and difficult to handle.
Plunge the tomatoes into an ice-cold water bath to stop the cooking process.
Transfer the tomatoes to a cutting board and peel the skins off.
Cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch chunks.
Place the chopped tomatoes, along with all of their seeds and juices, into a large Dutch oven or saucepan, along with the butter, olive oil, onions, garlic, salt and sugar.
Bring to a gentle boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours, until the sauce is no longer watery.
Remove the onion and discard. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher to smash any large chunks of tomatoes or garlic to make a slightly chunky and thick sauce.
Before serving, stir in the basil.
The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 days, or can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Video Tutorial
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Homemade Tomato Sauce
Based on Marcella Hazan’s famous recipe, this simple and rich homemade tomato sauce is a summer essential.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds plum tomatoes (or two 28-ounce cans whole peeled plum tomatoes)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and cut in half
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- If using fresh tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Fill a large bowl halfway-full with ice cubes and cold water. Using a sharp knife, cut a ¼-inch deep X on one end of each tomato. Place the scored tomatoes into the boiling water and cook until you see the skin starting to wrinkle and split, 1 to 2 minutes (be careful not to cook too long, or the tomatoes will become soft and difficult to handle). Using a slotted spoon, lift the tomatoes out of the pot and plunge them into the ice-cold water bath. Let sit for a few minutes to cool, then transfer the tomatoes to a cutting board and, using your hands, peel off their skins.
- Cut the tomatoes into ½-inch chunks (discard the cores at this point) and transfer them, along with all of their juices, into a Dutch oven or saucepan.
- To the chopped tomatoes, add the butter, olive oil, onions, garlic, salt, and sugar. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1½ to 2½ hours, stirring occasionally and mashing the tomatoes, until the sauce is no longer watery. Remove and discard the onions. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, mash any large chunks of tomatoes and garlic to make a slightly chunky and thick sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Before serving, stir in the basil.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 256
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 503 mg
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Hi Jenn,
My husband & I made this wonderful sauce yesterday. We followed your recipe to a ” T ” & it turned out perfect. We let it cool and then put it in the frig for the night & sealed it in freezer bags today. We ended up with five bags & put them in the freezer. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Your directions were so easy to follow. You are so amazing.
Could canned crushed tomatoes be used instead of whole tomatoes? If so, would the measurements be the same?
No, I wouldn’t recommend it. Sorry!
I love this recipe, and so does my husband! I used it with spaghetti and added meatballs and a tablespoon of jalapeño for heat, though I could have eaten it as is. The sauce is flavourful but also has a nice lightness. Thank you.
It was delicious.
Can you can this recipe instead of freezing?
I didn’t develop this recipe for canning so I can’t say for sure that it would be safe. Sorry!
Delicious and pretty easy! I left the onions in and blended 2/3 of the batch in a blender before stirring it back in. The butter and oil seemed to make it so smooth…it was wonderful!
I’ve made this a few times now and it’s delicious. Do you think it could be made successfully in the slow cooker?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Catherine, I don’t have a slow cooker so I haven’t tried it myself, but I think it could work. You’d need to occasionally lift the top off and mash the tomatoes while they’re cooking. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
My husband at supper: “I think this is the best spaghetti sauce I’ve ever had!” This was phenomenal. The simple tomato basil sauces are such a hit!
This is my first year growing a surplus of tomatoes, so also my first time making tomato sauce. This recipe is a keeper!! I used a variety of garden tomatoes. The sauce turned out sooo good! Even my Italian husband loved it. We were tempted to eat it like soup with bread for dunking! That’ll be my next experiment – won’t need to change much with such delicious flavor!
I’m making this today. Why do you have to remove the onion? Can I blend it in with my hand blender? It seems like such a shame to throw them out. Also can I use Roma tomatoes instead since that’s what I have on hand? And I don’t have any fresh basil so I will have to substitute dried and I’m assuming that’s OK.
Hi Judy, it’s perfectly fine for you to blend the onion in with your hand mixer. Also, using Roma tomatoes is fine. Regarding the basil, I definitely prefer fresh over dried, but it’s OK to use dried in a pinch (you’ll only need 2 teaspoons instead of 2 tablespoons). Hope you enjoy the sauce!
The sauce was out of this world. Another home run Jenn! Thank you.